Suction-type manual and automatic swimming pool cleaners, of which there are many on the market, collect leaves, dirt and other debris from the bottom and sides of swimming pools by means of a flexible swimming pool cleaner hose. These foreign materials are carried by the water through the hose. The water and foreign materials are drawn by the suction side of the filter pump to the filter. Most pool pumps have an integral hair and lint trap on the suction side of the pump to prevent damage to the pump. As the pumps are often remote from the pool site, and the hair and lint traps are difficult to clean out, the pool owner or maintainer frequently ignores or does not know that the hair and lint trap is filled. Thus the efficiency of the pump falls and, consequently, the efficiency and effectiveness of the pool's entire cleaning system falls.
There are several in-line leaf traps on the market today. Examples are those manufactured by Rainbow Lifeguard Products, by Arneson Products, Inc. (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,437) and by Barracuda International Corp. All of these devices do work. However, they leak air (thereby losing suction), they are difficult to open and they are opaque or detract from the appearance of the pool surface. Therefore, present in-line leaf traps do not fully address the pool owner's needs.